A Life Dedicated to the Rose
Today, 16th February, marks what would have been one hundred years since the birth of David C. H. Austin OBE, whose vision transformed the modern garden and reimagined what a rose could be.
David was born on 16th February 1926 and raised in the Shropshire countryside, where an early closeness to the land shaped his lifelong sensitivity to plants and seasons. From a young age he was drawn to beauty that revealed itself gently, through form, fragrance and character rather than display. Roses soon became his greatest fascination, particularly the old garden roses whose scent and history captured his imagination.
These roses, for all their charm, had their limitations. Most flowered only once each year. Modern roses offered colour and repeat flowering but often lacked fragrance and grace. David believed these qualities need not be separate. His ambition was simple and quietly held: to create a rose that carried the romance and perfume of the old varieties, while flowering generously throughout the season.
This idea guided his life’s work. Through the 1950s and early 1960s he raised and assessed countless seedlings, learning through observation and patience.
Set backs were frequent, and one year disease destroyed an entire crop, forcing him to begin again. Then, in 1961, his first great breakthrough arrived with the introduction of Constance Spry (Ausfirst). Though this rose flowered only once, her beauty and presence confirmed that his vision was achievable.
By the end of the decade David introduced the first repeat flowering English Roses, a name he chose to reflect both heritage and identity. Over the years that followed he introduced more than 240 varieties, each the result of many seasons of careful selection. These roses restored fragrance to the heart of the modern garden and brought a renewed appreciation for form, softness and storytelling.
Recognition followed, though it never changed him. In 2007 David was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to horticulture, a fitting acknowledgement of his contribution. He also received many of the highest honours in the rose world. Yet he remained modest, more interested in how a rose lived in the garden than in accolades.
On this centenary, his legacy is celebrated not only in awards or achievements, but in gardens across the world where his roses continue to flower with ease, generosity and quiet beauty. His dream lives on in every place where a David Austin rose is grown and cherished.
Later this summer, that same spirit will be reflected in a short film, offering a gentle tribute to the life, vision and lasting influence of a man who changed the way we think about roses.
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About UsBreeders of Exquisite Roses Since 1961Discover more
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